Chapter 87 - T'nash-veh T'Khasi Ha-kel - My Vulcan Home

Shi'Kahr District, Shi'al Province, Vulcan

By the time Mimi and Sordd had passed through immigration it was quite late in the day. They took a turbolift to the shuttle port where they parted company with Sodok, T'Lir, and T'Aria, who by this point had fallen asleep in her father's arms. Sordd and Mimi were then picked up by a member of Sordd's household who was going to transport them to the planet's surface in a desert cruiser.

As they descended from the shuttle port to planet-side, Mimi looked out of the cruiser window and tried to take in as much as she could of the landscape. They were heading towards Shi'Kahr, where they would skirt the edges of the city before making their way to Sordd's residence in a more rural part of Shi'Kahr District. Nevasa was setting in the east, which was their direction of travel, casting its fiery light across the red, sandy plain over which they were flying. There was very little topographical relief. The plain was really flat as a pancake, punctuated only by the occasional small rock or piece of scrubby, dead-looking vegetation. That was until the city of Shi'Kahr appeared on the far horizon with the saw-toothed line of the L-langon Mountains jutting up behind it. Mimi was quite relieved; the seemingly endless plain had stretched on for so long that she thought that it might be the only form of landscape on the whole planet. By now both the plain, the city, and the mountains were bathed in a deep reddish-pink light.

As they moved closer to the city, Mimi noted that the predominant architectural feature was what looked like giant spikes coming out of the ground, resembling massive stalagmites, with a combination of rounded and flattened tips. Some of the buildings looked like stalactites descending from enormous Vulcan-made archways.

Sordd leaned in to speak to her, "The flat topography of the region has made the city a centre for engineering innovations. In antiquity, the city of Shi'Kahr rose up due to its fresh water supply in the middle of the desert. It was an influential and affluent city, a mother city. Shi'Kahr is noted for being the home of the Vulcan philosopher Surak and was the epicentre of the ancient movement towards a society based on logic, peace and pacifism."

The night sky was aglow with city lights. Different sections of the city showed different shades of colour and levels of brightness. Sordd explained that this was due to individual municipalities transferring over to more energy efficient lighting, which also had the added benefit of decreasing light pollution.

As they moved closer to the city, there was a gradual increase in the amount of traffic as well as an increase in the quantity of vegetation. Unlike Earth, where the majority of trees and shrubs were green in colour, interspersed with the occasional copper, red and yellow, the dominant colour was red with a sporadic dusting of brown and orange. As far as Mimi could tell there did not seem to be any green anywhere!

Some of the more prominent 'important' buildings were lit up. They did not fly directly past the Vulcan High Command building but it could be seen in the distance, lit up in a purplish hue, as could the Surak Memorial Gardens. They did fly past the 'Os Ha-shal,' the Old Quarter, which contained some of the oldest architecture in the city. Vulcans had placed protection orders on a number of the buildings in this area due to either their special architectural features or their historical interest. The 'Sarda-kelek' or temple was one such building and it was lit up for all around to see. Few Vulcans worshiped there anymore, yet it held a special place in the city's history as it was one of the first places that allowed Surak, along with his followers, to preach there publicly.

They then moved to a more suburban area where the dwellings thinned out in number. The buildings did not stand out in the same way as they had in Shi'Kahr; a lot of them being built into the mountains or underground. As a result, it was harder to identify where the individual residences were.

Mimi continued to look out the cruiser window at the sands and rocky outcrops below. By now it was late evening and everything was coloured in varying shades of black and grey. Parts of it reminded her of the Grand Canyon at night; they had taken a trip there with the children a few weeks before coming to Vulcan. She wondered what it would look like during the day but appreciated the advantages of arriving after dark. At least it would be a little cooler outside.

Hanging in the sky was a moon, huge and glowing. Mimi frowned as she turned to speak to Sordd, "I thought you said Vulcan did not have a moon?"

Sordd leaned over to look out of her window at the bright object in the night sky. While he did so, he could not resist placing his hand upon hers. "That is not a moon, Mimi. That is T'Kuht, Vulcan's sister planet."

"Does it always look as big as that?" she asked with a look of wonder.

"Nirsh, no," he replied, while immediately sensing the disappointment through their bond at his words. "T'Khut waxes and wanes like Luna. One of the reasons why we are taking a detour is due to an ion-storm over The Vulcan's Forge, they are more frequent when T'Khut is waxing. In two day's time it will be full. Unlike Luna, which is illuminated from right to left, T'Khut is illuminated from left to right."

Mimi turned to look out the window again, a small smile appeared on her lips as she did so. "It's stunning!" she responded. Sordd could see the light of T'Khut sparkling in her eyes. That was stunning also.

*'*

Ha-kel - Home

Lights came on automatically as the desert cruiser descended into the underground hangar before landing smoothly in its designated bay. Sordd was first to step out of the craft. Subconsciously, he absorbed the dry heat of his home planet, allowing it to sink deeply into his bones. Although environmental systems on Vulcan starships were second to none, nothing could compare to the real thing. He looked back and extended his hand for Mimi to take; it was a human custom and permitted in the privacy of their home. He allowed her some moments to acclimatise. Fortunately, it being later in the evening, the temperature was cooler which she would find more agreeable. He watched her closely as she began to take in her surroundings.

Mimi looked up. The hangar had many distinctive architectural features, which fused both traditional and modern styles. She watched as the entrance through which they had just descended closed over. Natural light, which she assumed was coming from T'Khut, filtered into the hangar by arabesques made up of rhombuses and triangles, as well as stylised ornamental Vulcan designs. The whole thing had a very calming effect, which Mimi suspected had been very deliberate on the designer's part.

"The design prevents the elements from outside coming in, yet it still allows light to filter through. The brightness inside the hangar changes according to the time of day, hence the additional lighting," Sordd explained.

She turned to him, "It's beautiful!" Mimi couldn't quite believe that she was saying that about a hangar of all things. Sordd was inwardly pleased that she found it to be so. If truth be told, he had a sense of nervousness about him, which he was shielding well. He hoped that Mimi would find her new ha-kel agreeable. He led the way into the main house. Mimi was unsure what material had been used for the flooring but it appeared to have a dampening effect, as their footsteps could not be heard. Yet another very deliberate design feature.

A male Vulcan, wearing traditional, timeless Vulcan robes, met them at the entrance. He was tall and well built, even by Vulcan standards, with grey hair and dark brown eyes fringed with thick black lashes. He gave a small bow.

Sordd lifted his hand in the Vulcan salute, "Sochya eh dif, peace and long life, Denek."

Denek returned the salute while giving the formal greeting, "T'nar pak sorat y'rani, Osu Sordd."

Sordd gave a small bow in return, "Shaya tonat, Denek. May I introduce she who is my wife, T'Sai Margaret. T'Sai Margaret, this is Denek, Steward of the House."

Mimi nodded her head and raised her hand in the ta'al. He reciprocated with a small nod and a ta'al. "It is agreeable to meet you," he said neutrally.

"Shaya tonat, thank you, as it is you," she answered softly.

Denek nodded his head again, her pronunciation of the Vulcan words for thank you was more than agreeable. He then turned again to speak to Sordd. "Osu," he said in a respectful tone. "T'Pina has made refreshments available in your rooms. T'Shahel and Avarak have partaken of end-meal and are currently resting. Is there anything else I can do to be of service this evening?"

"Nirsh," Sordd replied while turning towards Mimi. "I will show T'Sai Margaret the house." He turned to look at Denek again, "I will arrange a meeting with you at a later point to discuss matters regarding the household." Denek nodded his head. Sordd continued, "Thank you for your service. Ha'tha mu-yor, good night."

Denek bowed his head again, "Ha'tha mu-yor Osu, Ha'tha mu-yor T'Sai." He then turned and walked away.

*'*

Sordd began to lead Mimi through the corridors of the house up to their rooms. At this precise moment in time she was not taking anything more in, as she was far too tired. She simply followed where Sordd led.

"Denek is bonded to T'Pina, you will meet her in the morning. She is the Housekeeper," he said in way of explanation.

"You have servants?"

Sordd noted the surprised tone in her voice. "Nirsh, they are members of suyu, staff. They are also maat, house members," he added to further clarify.

Mimi wondered why the elder Vulcan had called her husband 'Osu,' she had only ever heard him being referred to as Hakausu or Sordd. "Why did he call you Osu when you are younger than him?"

"It is due to my status in the House and Clan," he answered.

This was a revelation to Mimi. She knew that Sordd's brother, Sarek, was Ambassador to Earth but it had not occurred to her that maybe they were from an influential family. "What status do you have?"

Sordd stopped and turned to look at her. It had never occurred to him to explain to Mimi his 'status.' It had never seemed to be of importance and in fairness to Mimi she had never asked.

"The S'chn T'gai family is part of the House of Surak, one of the oldest Houses on Vulcan, which in turn is part of one of the oldest Clans on Vulcan. My ko-mekh, T'Rama, is the House pid-kom or matriarch, she reports to the Clan pid-kom, T'Pol. As my ko-mekh is the House pid-kom there come certain expectations and responsibilities."

Mimi took a deep breath. She had known that T'Rama was the matriarch of the house, but so was her mother when you sat down and thought about it. No big deal! Now she realised there must be a lot more to it. She decided to unpack that another day. There were more pressing things to ask. "Surak as in the philosopher Surak?"

Sordd nodded, "Ha, yes," he replied matter-of-factly.

Mimi's eyes went wide and she was sent into a bit of a flap. If there were certain expectations on Sordd due to his 'status' then it followed that there would be certain expectations placed on her, even if no one ever voiced them. She resolved to fit in as best as she could and to try and avoid offending anyone…

Sordd studied her for a moment. Mimi was projecting her thoughts, unable to shield them due to her level of tiredness. "All you need to do is be you," he said reassuringly. "Come, it is late…"

They continued in silence as they climbed up some stairs before walking along another corridor. "These are the private family rooms," Sordd informed her. He showed her his study, her study, the children's tutorial room, music room, and family room along the way. They checked first on Avarak, who was sound asleep, and then T'Shahel, who was reading a book on her padd. They then continued along the corridor. Mimi could not take it all in and began to wonder how she would remember where everything was.

"Tomorrow I will give you a tour of the compound. I believe that you will find the gardens agreeable." What he did not tell her was that he had arranged for some rose plants to be obtained. They were currently growing in an environmentally controlled greenhouse. He hoped Mimi would be 'pleased.' "If you want to venture outside the compound it is advisable that either I, one of the children, or a member of the household accompany you. At least until you are more familiar with the surroundings."

Mimi nodded her head in understanding. There was no possibility of her venturing out on her own anytime soon. Yes, she liked to explore but with what she had seen of the planet so far, it would be almost suicidal to go out without assistance, at least until she had acclimatised better.

They eventually reached the end of the corridor, which had two doors facing them. Sordd opened the door on the left.

Mimi stepped into the room and breathed deeply. The room was cool, around 20°C. She took another deep breath and it was in that moment she realised how hot she had been feeling on their journey from the spaceport. She had a look around. The room was larger than their main room at the embassy, its walls painted in neutral hues which complemented the terracotta-coloured stone floor. There were two windows with a glass door in-between them, leading out onto a small balcony which looked onto the gardens. There were various pieces of furniture: a king-size bed, an ottoman, dressing table with chair, two-seater couch with cushions, a tei table, and a beautiful rug with geometric patterns. There was also a meditation area in the corner with a meditation mat, incense bowl and candles. There was everything that Mimi had grown used to seeing in Vulcan private rooms.

Sordd looked on, trying to gauge her reaction without invading her privacy. She stopped in front of one of the embroidered tapestries on the wall. It was an old piece, although not ancient. T'Alaro's second foremother had made it when she was a young girl. The image was of the sun rising over Mount Seleya, in colours of purple and gold, orange and red, with highlights of silver, bordered by High Vulcan script written in rose gold.

Mimi turned to speak to him, "What does the script say?"

"Wehk tra yut tor dan-pid-sfek. Vah tor vah etek ek qots'noi, shaya koish'a'siq kwi natyan ba'tak tra ri-yauluhk. Many are the paths to the summit. As long as we all climb, fracturing arguments from differing traditions are irrelevant."

Mimi nodded her head then continued to explore. There were a number of storage boxes placed in one of the corners, some of her possessions from Earth. She would deal with them at a later point. Unusually there were also a number of ornaments of Vulcan design, Sordd was not one to have ornaments. On the tei table was a tray with some food, a cup and saucer, and a pot, which Mimi assumed was some tea. She ran her finger along the dressing table and smiled as her eyes fell upon the orchid that Tom had given her on her last day at school. She was pleased it had survived the journey, she would message him later to let him know.

The room was obviously Vulcan in its décor, but she could tell there was a woman's touch. It suddenly dawned on Mimi… "Are these T'Alaro's things?" she asked at a whisper.

"Ha," Sordd responded while inwardly scolding himself for not having the foresight. "She chose many of the objects in the house. If you find any of them disagreeable, I can arrange for them to be removed..."

Mimi turned to look at him again and shook her head. "Nirsh, no. It's ok." She then opened the closet door, which had her robes hanging up in them. Much to Sordd's relief, T'Pina must have had better foresight than himself and had removed T'Alaro's robes. He made a mental note to thank her in the morning.

Mimi turned to look at him, with a surprised look on her face. "Sordd, where are your things?"

"My possessions are in my room."

The colour drained from Mimi's face. "Your room?" she managed to ask.

"Ha," he answered as he walked towards a connecting door and opened it. He turned to look at her again. "My room is in here," he said as he pointed into the room. He noted her biting her lip. "Mimi, what is wrong?"

She looked over to where he was standing unable to answer him immediately. Things were hitting her for the first time and they were hitting her hard. Quite frankly it was overwhelming. She suddenly felt very nervous and insecure again. Eventually, she managed to find her voice again, "Are we not staying in the same room?"

"Ashayam, beloved," he answered while walking towards her. "It is Vulcan custom for a husband and a wife to have separate rooms. This is your private space. I will not intrude in here unless invited."

Mimi quickly glanced around again. She was unsure what she thought about sleeping in T'Alaro's room…

He detected extreme nervousness through their bond as well as confusion and a fear of being 'abandoned.' "Come, please…" Sordd took her hand then led her through the connecting door into his room, which was of similar size and proportions to hers.

"You are welcome to come in here use this room whenever you want. You are welcome to use any room in our house whenever you want. Everything is yours."

She looked back at the room they had just been in, T'Alaro's. Mimi nodded her head… Sordd turned to her again. She looked exhausted. He could now sense distress through their bond but could not determine the reasons behind it. He brushed his fingers gently against her cheek, but he chose not to probe their bond. It would be unfair to do so when she was so tired that she would be unable to shield thoughts she did not want him to see. "It is time for nocturnal rest…" he said. She stared back at him blankly. "Perhaps take off your outer robe?"

Mimi looked down at her robe and began to unfasten the clasps. Sordd walked over to one of the seats, sat down and then began to take off his outer robe and his desert boots. Distracted, Mimi looked up from what she was doing and stood in silence watching as he put everything neatly away in his closet.

After completing his task Sordd turned to focus his attention on Mimi again. He noted the glazed, confused look on her face. She was still rooted to the spot where he had left her on entering the room. She had not even managed to unfasten all the clasps of her outer robe.

"Ashayam," he said softly as he walked towards her again. "It is time for nocturnal rest… Where would you like to sleep this evening? In here or in your room?"

"Where are you going?" she immediately answered with a hint of panic in her voice.

"I will go where you go," he answered soothingly. He lowered his mental shields slightly as he brushed his finger against her cheek again, in an attempt to feed her some reassurance. She was on the verge of tears but was trying her best to hold it in, admirable.

She looked up into his eyes. "You promise?"

He nodded his head, "Ha!"

She turned to look at T'Alaro's room, her room, and then turned to look back at him. She hesitated, seemingly unable to make a very simple decision. Sordd waited patiently, not wanting to cause further strain. Mimi was not quite at the stage where she could sleep in T'Alaro's room and eventually she whispered, "Here."

"Rom, good" he said encouragingly. "Come and sit over here." He led her to the seat where he had sat earlier to take off his own robes and boots. Mimi sat down. Every so often she glanced next door... he noted the occasional flinch in her cheek but said nothing of it.

"What if I get lost?" she asked out of the blue.

Sordd looked up at her, "I will find you," he replied. He gently cupped her face in his hands. "Everything is ok, ashaya."

Mimi looked down at him and smiled. She brushed a finger along his cheek and nodded her head. "Can you show me the rooms again in the morning?"

Sordd nodded his head again, "Of course, ashaya." He paused for a moment. "We will take as much time as you need to familiarise yourself with the house."

Mimi took a deep breath and visibly relaxed, "Thank you."

*'*

Notes

A reminder that I have used memory alpha and memory beta for sources. (particularly regarding the Old Quarter) "Few Vulcans worshiped there anymore, yet it held a special place in the city's history as it was one of the first places that allowed Surak, along with his followers, to preach there publicly." Memory Beta

Reference to T'Khut looking like a moon comes from the book, Vulcan Academy Murders by Jean Lorrah :-)

"Many are the paths to the summit. As long as we all climb, fracturing arguments from differing traditions are irrelevant." Taken from Kir'Shara - The Original Writings of Surak Published by Sidzhan

ashaya - a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person

*•*

Thank you Kehlan, you continue to have the patience of a saint :-)

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HAPPY EASTER!